East High Boarding School
by avocado.blitz
Summary: UNDER CONSTRUCTION. THE FIRST FEW CHAPTERS WILL BE REWRITTEN - BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR AN UPDATE! Starts out like HSM, but goes in a kind of different direction. Let me know what you think! Usual pairings.
1. The Beginning

**Alrighty, time for a new story. For those of you who are waiting for updates on my other stories, I'm SO SO sorry! I was busy with school and I really admire all of you who find time to update during the year. But I'm hoping to finish them by July '07. Maybe I just hit some writer's block...anywho, here we are!**

**Bold is usually my author's notes. I'll let you know otherwise!**

**ENJOY!**

BOARDING SCHOOL

EAST HIGH:

**The whole thing at the ski lodge happened but I changed it to summer instead, so it's more like an end of summer vacation. This is the beginning of the school year for everyone.**

_walking through the halls of East high_

"Mama, my stomach." Gabriella Montez said to her mother. She was switching schools again and by the way the last three had been, she was pretty nervous.

"_Mija_, it's just first day butterflies. You'll do fine, and I've made my company promise that I can't be transferred again until after you graduate." Said Gina Montez. To tell you the truth, she was worried about her daughter. This wasn't an ordinary public school; it was a boarding school. But it was the best school in all of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

"I've read your transcripts and I expect your light will shine brightly here at East High Boarding School." Principal Matsui wasn't making matters any better.

"I don't want to be the schools freaky genius girl again, Mom."

"Just be Gabriella. Now give me a hug and find your dorm. I can't stay, I have an important meeting but I'll call you tonight."

Gabriella walked through the halls trying to find her dorm room. Finally she reached a door and knocked. A middle-aged African American woman answered.

"Ah, you must be Gabriella." Gabi timidly nodded her head. "I'm Mrs. McKessie and this is my daughter and one of your roommates, Taylor." She said, bringing out a girl about 16 years old.

"Hi, it's nice to meet you. This is Kelsi Neilson, she's also our roommate."

Gabriella brought out her hand. "It's nice to meet all of you. Are we the only three in this room?"

"Yeah, it's only three or less to a room." Replied Kelsi. "So who do you have for homeroom?"

"Um…I think its Mrs. Darbus."

"Hey, we have her too. She's crazy."

"Yeah, she's obsessed with 'the theatre.' " They all laughed. Maybe this school wasn't so bad after all.

Brrrring 

"Oh, that was the warning bell. I better get going. You girls have a nice time." Mrs. McKessie said.

"Bye Mrs. McKessie."

"Bye Mom."

"Okay, I guess we should get to class before the bell rings." Gabriella pointed out.

Taylor noticed this. Hmm, maybe she had just found a new candidate for the Scholastic Decathlon.

HOMEROOM:

Gabriella took a seat behind Taylor and next to Kelsi. She thought she saw a familiar face but the bell rang and he turned around before she could get a clear view.

Brrrring 

"Was that a cell phone?" Mrs. Darbus demanded.

"No ma'am, it was the bell." Someone pointed out.

"Well then, auditions for the winter musicale will be held during free period and…"

End first chapter

**Ok, this is my first HSM story. What do you guys think? It'll have the same story line as the movie for the most part but there are a couple twists!**

**oooh, and please please review...pretty please with a cherry on top? I'll be your bestest friend in the world! hehe. lol, just kidding. but yeah i'm not stopping you if you wanna push the purple button!**


	2. Troy's Arrival

**Okay, I know you guys hate me for making you wait this long, but hey, it was only 3 days! Anyways, Here's the second chapter!**

Troy Bolton had just gotten back from his amazing vacation. Snowboarding, basketball, not to mention the hot girl he'd met at the "young adult's" party. He was ready to come back and be the playmaker. He would bring his team to victory against the West High Knights in the championship game. _Brrrring_ But first, he had to get to homeroom…with Mrs. Darbus.

The second he walked in there was a commotion.

"Yo, Troy! Good luck at the game!"

"Hey bro how was the vacation"

"Hey, there's my man." This was Chad Danforth, Troy's best friend since pre-school when they'd bonded over basketball. "You ready for the game?"

"You bet man…" he trailed off as he noticed a petite familiar filipina in the back sitting next to that girl, Kelsi. Just then the bell rang and he whipped his head around before he got into any trouble with Mrs. Darbus.

She talked about the auditions for the winter musicale and went on and on about respecting the theatre. Meanwhile, he brought out his phone and searched for a name. There it was: _Gabriella Montez_.

He clicked on it, not realizing that it would cause her phone to ring.

_Ring Ring_

"Now I know that was a cell phone. Don't even try to tell me otherwise." Mrs. Darbus said.

Everyone looked through their purses and bags to see if the phone was theirs. Gabriella opened her purse and found her phone and the ringing instantly became louder. Troy's picture flashed on the screen. Mrs. Darbus walked by and collected all the phones that were still out.

"We have a no cell phone policy in this class Ms. Montez. We shall be getting to know each other during detention…Ah, Mr. Bolton. I see you also have your cell phone out. You know the rules. Drop it." He dropped it into her cell phone bucket.

_Brrrring_

Everyone rushed out, not wanting to get into any more trouble. Troy stood waiting outside the door. Gabriella walked out looking around.

"Hey!" Troy called out.

"I don't…"

"…believe it."

"Oh well me…"

"…Neither."

They started talking and before they knew it, they were standing next to the sign up sheet for the auditions.

"Well, now that you've met Mrs. Darbus, I bet you can't wait to sign up for that."

She laughed, "I won't be signing up for anything for a while."

Just then, Sharpay came up. "Hi Troy. Nice of you to show our new classmate around."

She signed her name over the pairs audition section. "Oh, I'm sorry! Were you going to sign up?"

**End second chapter**

**Well? What'd you think? It's pretty short I know but they'll get longer. I've got all summer!**

**Thank you to EVERYONE who reviewed! I'll answer some of them next time! Please keep reviewing!**


	3. Twist?

**A/N: Chapter 3 is longer and in my opinion a little better. Alright, its gonna get a bit different now!!! Get ready!**

She didn't know what possessed her to do it. Maybe she had gone crazy. Yeah that's it. She would check herself into a hospital first thing tomorrow…and tell them what? That she thought she was crazy because she signed up for an audition? **(Haha, that's a twist for ya.)**

They wouldn't call her crazy. They'd just call that weird. Maybe it was Sharpay's cockiness that had pushed her in to it, because when she asked if they were going to sign up, Gabriella replied, "Yes. As a matter of fact, we are!"

Troy looked shocked, like he had no idea what was going on. Gabriella grabbed a pen from her purse and wrote down her name, partly covering Sharpay's.

Sharpay looked just as shocked. Who was this girl?

"Well, may the best performer win!" she said with a fake smile, and walked off…more like stormed. Haha.

"Uh…Gabriella?" It was Troy.

"Oh, god. What did I just do? Did I sign up for the audition?" She saw her name on the list and just about fainted.

"Troy! What am I going to do? I can't sing in front of all these people"

"It's okay Gabi. We'll audition, and if we're lucky, we won't make it." he joked. But Gabriella wasn't listening. He had just called her Gabi...and she had known him for how long? But, it wasn't bad. In fact, she liked it when he called her that.

"Hello, earth to Gabi." There it was again! Yep, she would DEFINETELY love this school.

DORM ROOM:

"Hey Gabi, how was your first day?" Taylor asked that night as they were all getting ready for bed.

"It was great. Definitely better than my other schools. I even signed up for the winter musicale."

This made Taylor frown. That could ruin her chances of having Gabi on her team. She'd have to talk to Martha **(remember the girl in Stick to the Status Quo who loves to "pop and lock, and jam and break" he he )** and figure out a plan. Meanwhile Kelsi was overjoyed.

"Really? That's wonderful! They chose my compositions this year so I can help you rehearse."

"Oh, that'd be wonderful! Troy would probably like that too…" she trailed off as she saw Taylor's face. "What?"

"Troy? Bolton?"

"Yeah…"

Taylor sighed. "Looks like you've gotten caught up in the basketball star madness. To the rest of the school, he's a god. To us, he's lunk head basketball man."

"What are you talking about? Troy is a great guy."

"I'm sure…but just wait until a hot cheerleader is interested in him. He'll treat you like a day old tuna casserole."

"Look, Troy is not that kind of guy. Anyways, I knew him before I started here. I didn't even know he played basketball." Gabriella retorted, but Taylor looked interested.

"You knew him before? From where?"

"I met him on vacation at a ski lodge. They had a teen party and we were chosen for karaoke."

"Oooh, what song did you guys sing?" asked Kelsi. Taylor looked annoyed.

"Like it matters. Look, this is just like that movie, _Grease_. Two young lovers meet on vacation and she ends up at his school where he acts totally different around her." Taylor said, looking for an example.

"But in the end, they're together." Kelsi said, in a small voice. Truth be told, Taylor scared her almost as much as Sharpay.

Gabriella just shook her head.

Taylor went to bed thinking of what she could do to get Gabriella to focus on the decathlon.

**(I imagine Taylor as kind but a little TOO overprotective. And of course, she wants to recruit anyone for the decathlon who's not caught up in all the school spirit…not that that's a bad thing…but…you get what I mean? Ah, forget it.)**

All of a sudden Kelsi came up to Gabriella. "What song was it?"

She just laughed and told her, "The Start of Something New"

"Ohh! I love that song! I can't wait until we can rehearse together. It'll be great to have a friend actually interested in drama."

"Aren't you friends with Sharpay and the rest of the drama club?" Gabi asked, getting ready for bed.

"Not really. Sharpay is known as the Ice Queen around here. She's horrible to everyone but she sucks up to Ms. Darbus because she's in charge of the theatre department. She's been in 17 school productions. But tomorrow at the auditions you can see how good she is for yourself..." Kelsi kept talking but Gabriella wasn't listening. Now she just had to beat Sharpay out for the lead role. She wasn't going to be freaky math girl this time. And she was going to show her, you can't always get what you want.

End third chapter

**I realize I made Gabriella a little OoC but I don't want to make her all shy and naive. Anyway I haven't written the next couple chapters yet so if you have an requests or suggestions, just review!**


	4. COED!

**To superdani152003 and anyone else who's curious: Yes, I am continuing this fic. This chapter is proof of that, seeing as I can't leave all of you in suspense forever.**

**It might take me a while to update though because of school and all. I'll give you guys a choice: Do you want…**

**More updates and shorter chapters?**

**Less updates and longer chapters?**

**Also, I received a review saying my story wasn't original…which I totally agree with, but I should probably specify what its about.**

**It is the same story as HSM 1 with a little HSM 2 mixed in.**

**The characters will probably be a little OOC**

**This is fic, other than to show the way I'd have wanted the movie to be, is supposed to reveal some of the characters' inner thoughts about their plans and stuff.**

**And of course, it's a boarding school story, so we can eliminate the parents factor.**

**I will try to finish this fic soon. And, I might need a few more ideas of what you want to see…er…read (other than pairings), because I'm not too creative as you can probably tell.**

**I know some of you wanted to see RyanOC and Jelsi. This is a Troyella story but I'm going to make sure I add enough of the other couples to satisfy everyone. This is just an introduction to Jelsi and RyanOC will definitely be in the next chapter.**

**I really appreciate all the reviews!**

**Thank You sooooooooooo much!**

**Annnnnnnd…I'm going to bump up the rating to a T…you never know what's going to happen in a boarding school! **

Chapter Four

**RING RING!**

Gabriella's alarm went off. It was 6 in the morning, but classes started at 7 and she hated being late. Taylor's alarm went off at the same time, as she too wanted to keep up with her perfect attendance record. Kelsi had already left because she wanted to get some early morning practice in. She was as dedicated to her music and Taylor and Gabriella were to their studies.

"Good Morning Gabriella."

"Morning Taylor." she said wearily, even though the day hadn't started yet.

"Ugh, I need a shower. Now."

Shower. Gabriella hadn't even thought about that. They didn't have a bathroom in their dorm. "Where exactly is this shower, Taylor?"

"Oh, Right! I forgot you were new. Follow me."

As they walked down the hallway, Gabriella spotted directly ahead of them. A boy wearing a towel walked out as a girl, also wrapped in a towel walked in. It hit her. The bathrooms were co-ed!

"Taylor! I can't go into that room!"

"Why not?" Gabriella pointed at the sign on the door. "Oh, because it's co-ed? Don't worry about it. You won't even realize it in a few days."

"A few days? What if Tr—uh I mean what if someone sees me?" Gabriella could tell from yesterday's conversation that Taylor didn't really like him.

"Why are you so worked up about what Troy thinks? It doesn't matter. Now come on." She pulled her in to the room. There were showers lined against the walls with curtains draped over each one. There were so many people that Gabriella recognized from her classes. But she noticed one person the most. Across the room, wearing nothing but a pair of boxers was Troy talking to Jason. Gabriella could also see Kelsi looking over at Jason with a slight blush across her face. Jason was looking past Troy, still listening, but concentrating intently on the girl behind him. Gabriella smiled then nervously walked to an empty stall. Everyone around her was either fully or half undressed. She looked at her watch. It read 6:22. She'd have to hurry. _'Here goes nothing.'_ She stepped inside the shower and peeled her clothes off.

Taylor and Kelsi were waiting for Gabriella outside her stall, when Jason and Troy walked up. (Jason wanted to talk to Kelsi…DUH!)

"Hi Jason, hi Troy." Taylor said, for the sake of her friends, she wouldn't say anything about "lunkhead basketball man". Besides, she thought Chad was kind of cute, and he was on the basketball team too.

"Hi Kelsi," Jason said, almost shyly.

"Hi Jason," she replied, also shy, " How are you?"

"Doing good. I heard your compositions got picked for the school musical. That's really great."

"Yeah, speaking of which, Troy, Gabriella told me you signed up with her." Kelsi said.

"Uh…yeah" he said, kind of uncomfortably. Jason was there and he could tell the rest of his teammates. He glanced over, and just as he'd expected, Jason looked completely bewildered.

"Uh, we need to get going." Jason said, hurriedly. He needed to talk to Troy, "Bye Kelsi, bye Taylor." He dragged a not-so-happy Troy out to the hall.

Gabriella finally came out, fully dressed, but looking very self-conscious.

"See, that wasn't so bad, now was it?" Taylor teased.

"Yeah, yeah, make fun of the new girl." Gabriella grumbled, "Let's get to class before we get on Mrs. Darbus's bad side.

"Hon, everyone is on Mrs. Darbus's bad side. Sharpay and Ryan are the only exceptions." They both laughed and headed to homeroom.

Ryan, meanwhile, had noticed the sign up list and was wondering what Sharpay would make him do now. He always had to do her dirty work, while she sat and watched from the sidelines. _But wait…what if…? Yeah, that would definitely work. But then she'd be so mad. Is it worth it…? Yes, it definitely is,_ he decided,_ especially if it meant he could do his own thing for once._ Ryan walked away, with high spirits. He, Ryan Evans, had a plan.

Coach Bolton had given them explicit permission to practice during homeroom, so they didn't have to face the wrath of Mrs. Darbus. Although, what they were doing could hardly be considered practice.

"Dude! How could you go sign up for something with the championship game not even 2 weeks away?"

"Not to mention, it's a MUSICAL!" Chad yelled angrily.

"It's not 'musical' Chad, it's 'musi_**cale**_.'" Jason said, seriously. **(They made him seem kind of dense in the movies)**

"Do I look like I care?"

"Guys—" Troy tried to speak.

"You know what? Do what you want!"

"Chad—" Still no one paid him any attention.

"Just don't come crying to me when you get a wedgie mid-leap from those tights." 

"GUYS!" Troy yelled, finally getting their attention. "Okay, first of all, no one said anything about tights…or leaps for that matter. Second, one audition is NOT going to throw me off my game. We're supposed to be a team and teams stick together no matter what."

Chad just glared at him, while the rest of the team struggled with what to do.

"Sharpay's hot." Zeke stated. Everyone looked at him strangely. Zeke, who was still oblivious to everything going on, said, "I wonder if she'd like it if I baked her cookies…"

(Back to Ryan)

Ryan walked through the halls looking for the basketball team. Ms. Darbus liked him and had given him permission to "go practice his lines for the auditions". He felt bad taking advantage of her favoritism but he had a plan to carry out. Now, _Where would they be if they were skipping homeroom?_ Ryan could be a little dense at times too…he and Jason would make great friends. _Of Course! The gym!_ Ryan ran down to the gym and made it in record time.

"Hey what's the queer doing here?" Chad said, spotting him.

"I'm here to make a deal with you guys." Ryan had known he wouldn't be welcome but Chad was taking it a little too far.

"What kind of deal?" Troy jumped in before Chad could make any more derogatory remarks and scare Ryan off. Ryan was known throughout the school, along with Sharpay, for his performance skills. Maybe he'd help Troy out a little…

Chad stormed off, fuming, as the rest of the team came closer, into a huddle, as Ryan whispered his plan to them.

(Gabriella, Taylor, and Kelsi)

Mrs. Darbus had stepped out for a while, frustrated with the half her class completely missing. When Gabriella and Taylor had asked to go to the library, she had finally lost it and told them all that if they moved, even and inch, while she was gone, they would regret it for the rest of their high school careers.

The second she left, of course, the entire class—or what was left of it—burst out laughing.

"Something tells me I'm going to love being at this school" Gabriella said to Kelsi, and then blushed as she remembered she had already established that thought, earlier with Troy.

Taylor, noticing her blush, was still plotting ways to get Gabriella on the Scholastic Decathlon team. The audition was today and if Gabriella got a callback, Taylor would have to work fast. Suddenly, a thought popped into her mind. _Hmm...that could definitely work. I hope Gabriella won't completely hate me for it, if she finds out, though. No, this is for her own good._ With that, Taylor pulled out her notebook and started to formulate her plan.

(During Lunch)

Chad seemed to be the only one that was furious about Troy's audition. During lunch, the rest of the school began admitting their own personal passions and hobbies. Zeke loved to bake, Martha was very into dance, and one of the skater dudes played the cello. I mean, C'mon! The cello? Wasn't that for the little nerds with glasses pushed all the way up their nose? **(A/N: These aren't my own personal views, btw, in case any of you are offended. I just want to make Chad's role believable.) **As he was walking by a table, he heard Taylor and Gabriella talking about the auditions. Taylor didn't seem too happy either. Maybe if things went too far, he could collaborate with her. The fact that she was kind of cute didn't hurt either.


	5. A Change In Plans

Disclaimer: Not mine, not ever.

**Okay, so I've finally got another chapter. Since it took me so long, I'm going to make a deal with you guys.**

**If I can't finish this story by the end of the summer--let's say August 25th--then I will turn the story over to someone else or discontinue it. So, if you want me to keep going, let me know, and of course, the easiest way to do that is to review (hint hint). But seriously, I'm going to need a ton of feedback in order to keep this going, so please read and review, and tell all your friends too :)**

Ryan Evans was proud of himself. He had done it. He had taken a stand against his overbearing sister. Granted she didn't know it yet, but still, he felt good. He'd never realized that he had a choice in what he did. Ever since they were little, Sharpay had taken the lead while Ryan had stood aside and watched. He might as well have been a background singer, the way she treated him sometimes. However, thinking about their childhood also brought back some good memories--their early years, when they were practically best friends--it almost made him feel bad about his plan. Just then, he walked by the auditorium where Sharpay was practicing and heard her screech at some unsuspecting student. Yeah, _almost_ was definitely the key word there. Wrapped up in his thoughts, he suddenly found himself on the floor. Looking up, he noticed a young girl with long, brown hair and startling green eyes, biting her lip and looking worried. For a second he was too captivated to move. He could see her lips moving, but all he heard was a melodious harmony as he looked at her, dazed.

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Cassidy Prewett ran out the door, towards her classroom. She was already late for her first her hurry, she didn't notice someone standing right in front of her, and the next thing she knew, she was sprawled on the floor next to The Ryan Evans. Looking down at him, he didn't seem to be capable of anything but staring dazedly. She bit her lip. _This was so not what I needed today. _She had woken up late and by the time she'd reached the bathrooms, the warning bell for homeroom was ringing and everyone was rushing around, trying to get to their classroom. She decided to forgo the shower, thinking she'd have to take it in the evening. Instead, she quickly got dressed and ran all the way to Mrs. Darbus's room, barely making it on time, before noticing her shirt was inside out. She fidgeted through Mrs. Darbus's speeches, feeling self conscious, before asking to go the bathroom. When she returned, Mrs. Darbus had been in a bad mood and immediatlely began lecturing her on the importance of punctuality, despite her attempts to explain that she had been returning from the restroom. As "punishment", she had been forced to help Sharpay prepare for her audition, and of course, Sharpay had kept her late, claiming that she should be honored for the opportunity. She knew she would never escape Sharpay's wrath if she left, but she had to get going. Acting on impulse, she decided to risk it. Now, lying on top of her secret idol, she was wondering if she had been better off cueing lines.

"Are you okay?" she asked, praying the answer was yes.

He didn't respond, but continued looking up at her, slightly disoriented.

"Um...Ryan..?"

At the sound of his name escaping those beautiful lips, he came out of his trance.

"Oh..sorry. Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, getting up, "I'm Ryan. Ryan Evans."

"I know. I've seen all of your plays. You're a really good actor. But of course, you know that. I mean, your role in _Fiddler on the Roof_ last year was amazing. It seemed completely out of character for you, and--oh...I'm sorry, I...uh...I mean...hi, I'm Cassidy." she said, flustered. She'd been rambling again. It was embarrassing enough that she had a crush on a guy completely out of her league. Now she was ranting about him..._to_ him.

Chuckling, he said, "Hi Cassidy.

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Kelsi sat at the piano trying to compose. She'd been having trouble lately, unable to find any harmony. She sighed. _Maybe I'll try again later._ She got up and gathered her things to leave. Stepping out of the practice room, she thought she heard a noise, but just then she ran into Sharpay. _Oh great._

"Nielsen! Where have you been? I need to rehearse, now! That girl Carey--or Chastity--whatever her name is--she decided to ditch me for class. Everyone knows that contributing to my success is a great honor. Now, come on! I know for a fact that you have a free period." Sharpay ranted, "Now, I need to go over some things with you. You're going to have to change the music so that I have the melody. Ryan is perfectly capable of taking the harmony, and my voice is much better suited for those parts," she went on, walking down the hall with Kelsi following, timidly.

"You know Sharpay, that's only if you get the part," Kelsi pointed out, somewhat bravely. She'd written that part specifically for a male voice. She definitely didn't want to change it for Sharpay.

"_If?_ Did you just say _if_? Ryan and I have been in SEVENTEEN school musicals. There's no doubt that we'll get the part. Half the people in this school don't even know how to sing, let alone read music. And that Giselle girl is definitely no match for me." Sharpay said in a dangerous tone.

"Her name is Gabriella." Kelsi said, turning on her heel and leaving. _That felt good_, she thought.

Meanwhile, in the practice room, Jason stepped out of his hiding place in the storage closet. He loved listening to Kelsi play. She had a way of making things sound beautiful. Thinking about her, he sat down on the piano bench and set his fingers on the keys. He'd never told anyone, but he'd been playing the piano since he was a little boy. He'd always had a passion for music, but being friends with people like Troy Bolton and Chad Danforth, he was expected to play basketball too. _It's not too bad,_ he thought as his fingers floated across the keys,_ there are definitely perks._ But then he thought about what people would say if he were to tell them about his crush on Kelsi. Their school was pretty set in its stereotypes. Chad had freaked out when Zeke had mentioned his love for baking. _But there's nothing wrong with that_. Suddenly he felt angry. Why couldn't anyone show their true selves? Why was it always necessary to do what was socially accepted? frustrated, he banged the piano keys, letting out an odd chord.

"Jason?" He whirled around to find himself face to face with Kelsi. "Are you okay?" she asked, sweetly.

"I...uh..I'm...I have to go." He stood up, rushing to grab his bag.

"Wait, don't go. You're really good," she said softly, "at the piano, I mean."

"Really?" He asked. No one had ever really listened to him play. "You think so?"

"Yeah, definitely. You should help me write the compositions for the musical. I could definitely use your expertise." She said, smiling.

"I--I'd like that," he said, feeling on top of the world. They both sat down at the bench, and began talking.

He would risk the social exile if it meant he could be with her, he decided.

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_Swish_. The ball went straight through the net, yet again. Troy was practicing his free throws and so far had gotten every single one in. He didn't know what everyone was freaking out about. It was just one audition. It wasn't as if he wouldn't still be their star basketball player. He deserved to explore his other interests, didn't he? Sighing, he thought about that night at the ski lodge. He missed how carefree he had felt back then. He really loved singing with Gabriella. Maybe he should give this musical thing a shot. Wrapped up in his thoughts, he didn't hear the footsteps approaching him.

"Hey Troy."

"AGH! Wha--I--_Gabriella_? God, you scared me! What are you doing here?"

"I have a free period. I thought I'd check up on you," she said, taking the ball from him. She aimed and shot it at the hoop. _Swish_. "Score!"

"Nice. I didn't know you played." Troy said, impressed.

"I don't. Not really, anyway. I used to play with my dad sometimes when I was younger. I guess it stuck," she said as she stole the ball away again, "What about you? How did you get so interested in basketball?"

"I'm not sure. My dad was a star player in high school and when he became the coach here a few years ago, I got really into it, and...I guess it stuck" he said, smirking at her.

"Haha," she laughed, making yet another shot. Sobering up, she asked, "So are you interested in auditioning for the musical? I mean, you don't have to. It was kind of a rash decision on my part, which is kind of strange, because I never do that. I always think things through, complete with pro/con lists and everything. I think I'll just cross out our names on the li--", she was cut off by a kiss. "Wha--," she said, completely disoriented.

"You were rambling." Troy smirked, picking up the ball and walking towards the locker rooms.

"I'm taking that as a yes!" she called after him with a grin.


	6. Author's Note and Explanation

I've decided that I don't really like the way this story has been written so far, so I'm going to be rewriting it. I was quite young when I originally wrote this and I would like to improve it to reflect my current style. (For a sneak peek, feel free to read my stories _Confusion _and _Strawberry Ice Cream._)

Sorry to anyone who mistook this for an update! I realize it's been quite a while since I've updated at all but I hope that once I put up the redone version I'll be more motivated to continue – and yes, I am continuing this story, for anyone who's interested, no matter how long it takes. Meanwhile, let me know what you would like to see more or less of! I would love to incorporate ideas of the reader. Happy New Year!


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